Pollination and seed dispersal interactions in abandoned plantations
Date:
Francisco Fonturbel, Jorge Cortés, Daniela Salazar, Caren Vega-Retter
Pollination and seed dispersal interactions are critical processes for plant reproduction and natural regeneration. However, these mutualistic interactions can be hampered by disturbances of anthropogenic origin. In an anthropized world, abandoned productive lands (such as forestry plantations) are becoming more common and opening new opportunities for conservation. While there is an increasing body of evidence about the persistence of native species in exotic plantations, little is known about ecological interactions. We compared the performance of pollination and seed dispersal interactions in a keystone mistletoe (Tristerix corymbosus) between native forest and abandoned plantation stands. We found mistletoes to be more abundant and densely aggregated at the plantation, being visited more frequently than those of the native forest. The increased visitation rates at the plantation may result from the presence of shade-intolerant plants that present a copious offer of flower and fruit resources. Notwithstanding, the mistletoes thriving at the abandoned plantation have lower allelic richness and higher inbreeding coefficients than those of the native forest as result of a reduced gene flow. Such reduction in gene flow at the landscape level may result from a denser plant aggregation and behavioral responses of the pollinator and seed disperser vectors. Despite abandoned forest plantations may constitute a valid alternative for conserving native species and their ecological interactions, its long-term viability needs to be studied in detail, as molecular evidence suggests that thriving in this kind of habitat has elevated costs in terms of genetic diversity.